According to research consultants Counterpoint Research, Apple captured 34% of the 2.8 million Japanese mobile phone sales this September, marking a sizable increase from the estimated 14% seen in both July and August.

The news is even more impressive when, as Counterpoint director Tom Kang notes, “This is the first time any handset brand has crossed the 30% mark in the last decade in one of the most modern digital handset market in the world, Japan.”

Kang explains that Japan’s hyper-competitive market — featuring more than ten handset brands controlled by the three major mobile operators — has previously made it impossible for one brand to secure one-third of the overall market. That Apple has been able to do so adds yet another data point showing the iPhone’s strength in Japan; joining a recent report that Japan has the world’s highest concentration of iPhone 5c and 5s’ — with almost 10% of all active iPhones in Japan being new models, compared to 6.4% in the United States and a global average of 5.5%.

Apple’s continued Japanese revenue growth, taking place at a time when the American and European markets have leveled off somewhat, offers further demonstration of the importance of the Japanese market. Japan was Apple’s fastest-growing region in terms of revenue, with 41% on-year growth last quarter. This, in turn, was significantly higher than the 6% revenue growth seen in Greater China.

Japan is absolutely crazy about iPhones, more so than their own Sony Xperias. The Localytics report definitely sheds some interesting light regarding 5s/5c splits across countries. Almost 4-1 in Germany and only 2-1 in the States? Are Germans that against plastic?

About the author

Luke Dormehl is a UK-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems, And Create More and The Apple Revolution, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme, and other publications. He'd like you a lot if you followed him on Twitter.

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